Today, SpaceX was officially given the approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Fish and Wildlife Service to move ahead towards the 2nd flight of Starship, currently targeting the morning of November 17th.
Flight Termination explosives have been installed on both Starship and the Super Heavy booster ahead of the eventual stacking of the two vehicles, which is expected to happen at the end of the week.
Starship preparing to launch as early as November 17, pending final regulatory approval → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK pic.twitter.com/qRKv9ugWsR
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 11, 2023
SpaceX had hoped the launch could have occurred as early as the 13th, but poor weather in the area and a delay in FAA approval resulted in a slight delay to the 15th.
As you should probably guess, November 17th isn’t set in stone. Pre-launch workflow still needs to occur to ensure that Starship is ready to fly, but SpaceX is as close as ever for the Integrated Flight Test 2.
Credit: SpaceX | FAA
After a Senate hearing on October 18th, things coincidentally seemed to change in the launch license evaluation process. Fish and Wildlife Services were out the next day, removing debris and walking around the launch site checking on the upgrades SpaceX has made to the launch pad, including the addition of the water suppression system.
As SpaceX confirms the launch date and moves closer, we will continue to have the news for you here!
Questions or comments? Shoot me an email at rangle@teslarati.com, or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.
